News and notes from each week of NASCAR racing using a Las Vegas oddsmaking perspective

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Nevada sports books set state record for Super Bowl handle,win: $119 Million in wagers taken

NASCAR Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan helps family business out during Super Bowl at South Point sports book

LAS VEGAS -- Nevada sports books recorded the biggest single-day write and win in state history on Super Bowl Sunday, helped along by public opinion being one-sided on the Broncos and continuing the trend of booming business at the books.

Sunday’s game, won by the Seahawks, 43-8, took in $119.4 million in wagers throughout the state’s 183 sports books, breaking the record of $98.9 million set last year. Also, the $19.6 million won bested the mark set in 2005 when the books raked in $15.4 million. The 16.5 win percentage fell just short of the record 17 percent held in 2005.

Following the game, most sports book directors we talked with were optimistic that a record would be broken, since their individual handles were up from last year. The Golden Nugget’s Tony Miller reported a 20 percent increase, while the MGM’s Jay Rood speculated based on of his own increases that the state would reach about $105 million. But the actual $119.4 million handled was beyond anyone’s wild guess.